


In Too Deep

by starryeyedchar



Series: Voltron Hogwarts AU [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Drowning, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gryffindor Keith (Voltron), Gryffindor Lance (Voltron), Hurt Lance (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Near Death Experiences, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Pre-Slash, Roommates, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:08:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25581094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryeyedchar/pseuds/starryeyedchar
Summary: Keith stared at Lance for a moment, then promptly chucked a pillow at his head. "Are you an idiot?!”“No, and I resent the question. I’m just very adventurous. We’re in Gryffindor, Keith, what do you want from me?”“Lance! You shouldn't leave the castle at night, and the Black Lake is really dangerous! It's got all sorts of creatures in it!”“Uh, yeah, including mermaids. Mermaids, Keith. Mermaids.”“Repeating the word ‘mermaids’ isn't going to convince me that this is a good idea."Lance invites Keith to a picnic by the Black Lake with Hunk and Pidge, and it's actually really nice. Until it isn't, because Lance of course insists on going swimming.
Relationships: Hunk & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: Voltron Hogwarts AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1050152
Comments: 12
Kudos: 86





	In Too Deep

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written for VLD in almost two years, and this is the last thing I updated for it. I was really excited about this AU and the potential it had, and then after Season 7 I was so upset with the VLD writers that I lost interest entirely. Somehow, though, with all the free time I've had in quarantine... I got it back. I love these characters, and I still love this AU idea that I had a lot of plans for way back when. I don't know if I'll want to write stuff in VLD canonverse still, but the writers of VLD stink, and so does JK Rowling, so sometimes you gotta write a gay Gryffindor roommates AU as a big "screw you" to both of them. I don't make the rules. I do want to keep writing this AU though, as well as keep writing the other WIPs I've been posting lately, so... yeah. I guess Voltron is something I'm writing for again, but it's not the only thing I'm writing, and at least for the time being I'm probably gonna stick to this AU. Because I really love working on it.
> 
> If any of you are looking at this after witnessing my near radio silence for two years... hi, I'm sorry. If you're new (which everyone who reads this probably is) thanks for reading! Please leave a comment to let me know what you think, because it's been a while since I wrote for these characters. And happy birthday to Lance, the character that first inspired me to post things on this website. I owe a lot to the inspiration his character gave me.

Keith wasn't surprised at all when he woke up to the sound of someone sneaking around their dormitory. He knew who it was before he’d even opened his eyes.

It took a moment for him to adjust to the darkness, but soon enough he recognized the form of Lance putting his robes on over... swim trunks.

Keith briefly thanked the stars that it was too dark for him to actually get a good look at Lance shirtless, because Merlin knows he didn't need the distraction.

He pushed himself up onto his elbows, glaring at Lance in what he hoped was disapproval, but probably came off as more grumpily exhausted.

And he shoved down the curiosity, because he absolutely did _not_ care what Lance was sneaking out after curfew to do this time. Even though a small part of him, a small part he refused to acknowledge but remained there nagging in the back of his brain all the same, really hoped it wasn't to meet a girl.

Lance happened to glance over at Keith, which resulted in him jumping about a foot in the air and shrieking in a voice three octaves higher than normal.

He slapped a hand over his mouth immediately, and looked around to make sure he hadn't woken any of their other roommates up. Somehow, he hadn’t. Then, Lance walked over to Keith's bed and hissed, “Keith! What the hell, man?”

Keith scowled. “You woke me up with all your sneaking around. I should be asking you that.”

Lance had the decency to look at least a little bit sheepish. “I don't _sneak_ ,” he whispered back defensively.

“Not very well, seeing as I heard you,” Keith said, with no small amount of amusement at Lance's irritation to his response. “But seriously. What're you doing, going out again? It's like you enjoy getting into trouble.”

“I only get in trouble if I get caught,” Lance said. “And this time it's totally worth the risk.”

“You always say that.” _And you always get caught._

“Yeah, but this time it's _seriously_ worth it,” Lance insisted. “Hunk snuck into the kitchens, and since the House Elves down there love him they let him use it to cook. He, Pidge, and I are going to have a moonlight picnic right next to the Black Lake. How cool is that?”

Keith stared at him for a moment, then promptly chucked a pillow at Lance's head.

“ _Hey_!”

“Are you an idiot?!”

“No, and I resent the question. I’m just very adventurous. We’re in Gryffindor, Keith, what do you want from me?”

“Lance! You shouldn't leave the castle at night, and the Black Lake is really dangerous! It's got all sorts of creatures in it!”

“Uh, yeah, including _mermaids_. Mermaids, Keith. Mermaids.”

“Repeating the word ‘mermaids’ isn't going to convince me that this is a good idea,” Keith said. “Besides, I highly doubt you'd like these mermaids. They're not quite Disney material.”

“I read in _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ that they do sing, though,” Lance pointed out. “And that’s good enough for me. Also, did you just say the word Disney? Did Keith Kogane, a pureblood with absolutely no tolerance for fun—”

“Hey.”

“—just reference a muggle movie company? Because if so, this is the happiest day of my life.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay. These mermaids may sing, but it's more of a siren song designed to put you in a watery grave. But if you'd like to die before taking your OWL’s, be my guest.”

“Dying before exams sounds ideal, to be honest.”

“ _Lance_ —”

“Relax, relax, I'm only kidding. We're not actually going swimming in the lake. Or, well... not more than a dip, anyway. I'm wearing the swim trunks mostly just in case. But there's a giant squid in that lake, so yeah. I'm _not_ about to mess with that,” Lance told him. Keith sighed.

He wanted to debate this more, because he definitely did _not_ trust Lance to exercise the self-control necessary to not go swimming. And with good reason. The Black Lake _was_ technically off limits, but Lance had grown up on a beach and nothing would stop him. He’d gone swimming in it pretty frequently over their five years at Hogwarts. This was the first time he'd attempted to do so at night, though, and Keith didn't like to think about what could be lurking under those waters when it got to be pitch black.

Or… even more pitch black than usual, anyways.

Keith laid back down, picking up the pillow he'd thrown at Lance off the ground and covering his face with it. “Fine. Promise you won't be dead by the time I wake up?” Keith asked, voice muffled.

Lance snorted, and made to walk out the door again. “I promise,” he said, but Keith heard his footsteps stall before he left the room. “Hey, uh. Would you... would you want to come?”

Keith sat up so fast that his pillow toppled off the bed again. “ _What_?”

Lance wasn't meeting his gaze, and twisted his hands together nervously. “I mean, you don't have to, obviously. I just… I said that next time you could tag along, and, well, I'm really glad you were there when we had detention, so. If you want to come have the picnic with us, you can?”

Keith forced himself not to say yes immediately. “What about Pidge and Hunk?” he asked slowly.

Lance laughed. “Pidge and Hunk love you, dude. In fact, they both hinted that he made enough food for four people, so I'm pretty sure they wanted me to invite you. I wasn't going to wake you up, but… since I kinda did that anyway, what do you say?”

Keith had to fight the smile off his face. Lance confused him to no end. Teasing him one second, being unbelievably sweet the next. But he felt like they'd struck a balance, somehow. Their first few years had been difficult, and full of animosity, but they’d been forced to work together when they were put on the same quidditch team. Which had led to the realization that they worked together pretty well. And now... now they actually felt like friends.

Who knew getting detention together could have this development?

“If you don't want to, that's fine,” Lance was saying hurriedly. “Like, I totally get it if you don't want to hang out with us. It's really late, and _definitely_ against the rules, and kind of stupid, but I just thought—”

“You’re right, it’s a stupid idea,” Keith said. Lance seemed crestfallen for a split second before he spoke again. “But I'd love to.”

Lance looked up at him in disbelief. “You... you would?”

Keith shrugged, smiling now. “‘Stupid’ doesn't mean it won't be fun.”

Lance grinned. “Alright. I'll walk down with you, but you need to get out of your pajamas, and probably do something about that bedhead. You look ridiculous.”

Keith threw the pillow again.

* * *

Lance could hardly believe that he'd actually gotten Keith to sneak out with him. The guy broke his fair share of rules, but always made a big fuss whenever Lance did something irresponsible or dangerous. And sneaking out of the castle and down to the shore of the Black Lake to have a picnic, of all things, definitely qualified as both.

Spring was nicely underway, but the night air was still chilly enough to make Lance shiver. Maybe Keith had a point that going for a swim wasn't the best idea. Regardless, this would be fun. He caught sight of Pidge and Hunk sitting on the blanket they'd set out a short distance from the water's edge. They waved to him, and Lance grinned.

Keith seemed exasperated at Lance's overdramatic wave back, but followed quickly after him when Lance hurried down the rest of the path.

“I brought Keith!” he declared cheerfully, to which Pidge snorted.

“We can see that.”

Lance stuck out his tongue at her. “Well, it's dark, and you're the one that has bad eyesight.”

“I don't have bad eyesight, _Mat_ _t_ does, I just stole his—”

“Anyway,” Hunk interrupted, fixing then both of them with a stern look. “I made a lot of food for all of you, and I'm not going to let it get cold, so dig in. Glad you came, Keith. I think all of us should hang out more.”

“Yeah,” Pidge agreed, already opening the picnic basket. “I mean, we may not be in your house, but that doesn't stop us from hanging out with Lance. And he's way more high maintenance.”

“Hey!” Lance protested, then glanced at Keith. At least _he_ seemed amused. Lance plopped down onto the picnic blanket, faking a pout. “I can't believe this. I've been betrayed.”

Keith sat down next to him, still seeming wary. “Do you guys do this a lot?”

“Not necessarily here, but the house elves like me so I make some things for us all to snack on once in a while,” Hunk said. “And then these two think of somewhere we can sneak after curfew in order to eat it. Since we’re all in different houses, it’s hard to find time to hang out during the week, and it’s not like we can ever eat together in the Great Hall. We've already had picnics on the Quidditch pitch, in the dungeons, and on the moving staircases to name a few.”

Keith blinked. “On… _on_ the moving staircases? How exactly—”

“It's not fun unless it's a challenge,” Lance said with a grin, bumping Keith's shoulder with his own.

“We have plans in the works to have a rooftop picnic,” Pidge informed him, with a wink. “If you play your cards right, you'll be invited to the next one, too.”

“Isn't that a little dangerous?” Keith asked, clearly skeptical.

Lance snorted. “You're a Gryffindor, Keith. Isn't the danger part of the fun?”

He frowned. “It's not fun if I have to worry about you falling.”

“Then why're you okay with Lance being on the Quidditch team?” Pidge wondered.

Keith didn’t seem to know what to say to this, and so Lance decided to rescue him.

“Because they wouldn't score any points without me,” Lance said, with what he hoped was another winning smile. “Besides, I’m right! danger is part of the fun!”

“Sure, but there can definitely be too _much_ danger,” Hunk said, turning to Keith. “We were going to do a picnic on the edge of the Forbidden Forest next, but in light of... recent events we had to make a slight change of plans.”

“There are just as many creatures lurking here, but at least these ones can't leave the lake,” Pidge added, with a shrug. “So Lance won't get lured off this time.”

Lance did his best to hide a wince at that comment. He noticed that Keith didn't look particularly happy about it, either.

“He's wearing swimming trunks under his robes,” Keith said then, out of seemingly nowhere, and Lance gasped dramatically.

“Betrayed yet again! Keith, how could you? After I invited you to dine with us?”

At Keith's glare, Lance laughed nervously.

“Look, I was raised on a beach. I'm not going to go in, but _just in case,_ I figured I'd—”

“Two galleons says you’re too scared to go in,” Pidge interrupted, and they all turned towards her in surprise. “What? He won’t.”

Keith took one look at Lance’s face and apparently didn’t like the expression he found there, because he fixed Pidge with a severe glare the next moment. “Don't encourage him.”

“Pidge, do you even know how much money two galleons _is_?" Hunk asked, appalled. “Because it's a lot!”

Lance, meanwhile, liked where this was headed. “You already owe me two galleons,” he pointed out, even though in all honestly he would've jumped into the Black Lake just for a dare. Honestly, he'd jump into the Black Lake for nothing but the _fun_. He had before.

Pidge seemed to consider this. “Five. Altogether, I’m not giving you seven galleons. I don’t even remember what I owe you two _from._ ”

Lance had agreed to do a Divination assignment for Pidge way earlier in the year— before she’d ended up quitting the class —because she was just so fed up with it, but that didn’t matter right now. “Deal!” And before then others could say anything, Lance shook with her on it.

He looked back over at Keith and offered a small smile. The other Gryffindor looked decidedly unimpressed.

“If you two are quite finished tempting fate, I'd like _someone_ to eat the food I spent ages making, thank you very much,” Hunk said, and shoved the picnic basket towards them.

* * *

For all he'd heard about it, Keith had never tried Hunk's cooking before. And that now stood as the greatest regret of his life.

Well. One of them.

He was legitimately enjoying himself, though, except for the fact that he kept catching Lance sneaking glances at him, and he honestly had no idea why. It was beginning to set him on edge. Had he gotten icing from the cupcakes all over his face? Was Lance that irritated that Keith had come?

But he just looked away every time Keith tried to make eye contact with him, and Keith eventually gave up. Trying to understand Lance was impossible, and at this point Keith knew him well enough to know he’d never stop being confusing.

In a way, the thought that knowing Lance meant being forever surprised by his behavior was kind of comforting.

But Keith still wasn't the least bit sure why he kept staring at him.

Hunk had begun packing up all the plates back into the basket when Lance stood, and stretched his arms above his head.

“Well,” he said. “I'm going to go take a dip.”

Hunk's head snapped up. “ _What_? You were serious?”

“Pidge will owe me five galleons. Besides, I wanted to jump in real quick anyway. I mean, just look at it!” Lance gestured at the lake, and Keith looked, but to him it didn't seem anywhere near as appealing.

Maybe since Lance had been raised on a beach he was used to it, but the inky black water just spoke to Keith of unknown horrors lurking in the depths.

“Pidge, tell him this is stupid!”

Pidge just grinned at Hunk. “He won't do it. Trust me. He's too much of a chicken.”

“Excuse you,” Lance scoffed, but Keith could tell his offense was entirely false by the light shining in his eyes. “I'm not scared at all.”

“Go underwater?” Pidge asked, still smirking.

“Oh, you know it.”

“Lance,” Keith interrupted, standing and grabbing his arm. “No. There are really dangerous things in there. You could get hurt.”

“Sounds like _Keith_ might be a little scared," Lance said, teasing. Keith just continued to frown, and Lance’s expression softened. “Seriously, don't worry dude. I'll be in there for a minute, tops. Nothing's gonna happen to me.”

“Famous last words,” Hunk deadpanned. “Keith is right. I don't think this is a good idea.”

“I think it's a great idea,” Lance tugged his arm lightly out of Keith's grip and took a few steps backwards toward the lake. “You guys don't always have to babysit me, you know.”

“We’re not _babysitting_ you,” Keith said, beginning to get irritated now. “We’re trying to stop you from putting yourself in a dangerous situation. I don’t like this idea, Lance, especially after what happened in the Forbidden Forest. You really freaked me out that night.”

“This is totally different,” Lance insisted, though Keith failed to see how. “The Forbidden Forest is forbidden for a _reason_ , but students swim in the Black Lake all the time, myself included. I mean, technically you’re not supposed to, and I’ve never done it at night, but well… anything that could drown me now could do it just as easily during the day, right?”

Hunk visibly paled. “That… really doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“Well, whatever. I’m not gonna back out of a bet with Pidge, she’d never let me hear the end of it. And that’s a fate worse than death, if you ask me.”

Keith glanced at the Slytherin in question, but she just shrugged. “He’s right. I wouldn’t.”

“See?” Lance gestured at her. Keith scowled, and Lance pressed on with a very pointed roll of his eyes. “Relax, Keith. Like I said, I won’t stay in for very long, I just need to prove my point. I’ll be fine, okay? And if I’m not, you get to say I told you so, like you always do. So it’s a win-win.”

Keith crossed his arms, but… it was clear that Lance wasn’t going to relent. He could be almost as stubborn as Keith himself when he wanted to be, though Keith supposed that made sense. They were in the same house, after all— two sides of the same reckless coin. And he could tell that this was probably the best he was going to get.

“…Fine. But I still don’t like it.”

Hunk looked back and forth between the three of them, mouth open in shock. “ _Unbelievable_. Why do I associate myself with you three?”

Lance grinned as he shed his cloak and theoutfit he was wearing over his swim trunks, then skipped towards the water’s edge. “You love us.”  
“Hm. I have half a mind to notify Professor Ulaz at the hospital wing in advance every time we hang out, at this point.”

Pidge snorted, and started to say something, but whatever she said was lost on Keith. Lance had started to wade into the lake, and Keith was still on edge. Nothing about this situation felt right. How could Lance just be so… so willing to put himself in harm’s way? And for what? For _fun_? Keith would never understand it.

…Although, he supposed he was sort of the same way with Quidditch, but that was _different._ Quidditch was an organized sport. This was just… stupid. Though Keith didn’t think Lance got as much academic credit as he was due, he’d never not be exasperated by Lance’s need to do dumb stuff like this.

Still, watching Lance, it was hard to be angry. There was a different side to Lance, something… rare and special that only really showed itself when he got in the water. His eyes would shine, and Keith could just _tell_ he was thinking of home. Cuba. Keith had never been, but… whenever he saw Lance looking like that, he really wanted to. He wanted to see the sandy beaches, the sun reflecting off of the water, the pizza place that Lance would never shut up about. He wanted to meet Lance’s family. They all sounded so _warm_ , and inviting.

As the youngest child, none of Lance’s siblings were still enrolled at Hogwarts, and though Keith knew they’d all been in different houses from Lance, he knew precious little else about them. Acxa, Keith’s own sister, was only a year older than him— a Slytherin sixth year. She, like the rest of Keith’s family, wasn’t… all that pleasant to be around.

So while Keith didn’t necessarily _understand_ Lance’s need to do things like this— not all as reckless, thankfully —to feel closer to home, he wasn’t about to argue with it. If he had a family like Lance’s, and so far away, he’d probably miss them a lot, too. As things stood, Keith was pretty much only happy when he was at Hogwarts.

Lance started treading water, evidently having made it far enough into the lake to not be able to touch the ground with his feet. And even though he could’ve very easily fulfilled Pidge’s dare right where he was, he just kept _going_.

Keith watched Lance swim farther out, and he decided that it was definitely _not_ hard to be mad. Despite Lance’s promise to be in and out, he certainly seemed to be taking his sweet time.

Hunk seemed to share Keith’s worry. “Lance, buddy, come on. You’re out far enough, just dunk your head under and come back to us already.”

Keith couldn’t see Lance rolling his eyes from where he stood at the water’s edge, but he got the feeling Lance was doing it. “You guys are no fun!”

“That lake must be freezing, anyway,” Keith said, though the temperature really wasn’t what concerned him. “Hurry up, Lance. Trust me, you’ll thank us for telling you not to do this later.”

“In your dreams, Kogane!” Lance shot back, still sounding like he was having far too much fun than the situation warranted, and promptly dove underwater.

Keith resisted an eye roll of his own. Lance always had to have the last word.

He also found himself struggling to repress his mounting concern at every second Lance spent under the surface of the Black Lake. Even if the water were clear, the three of them were too far away to see what Lance was doing, and even if Keith knew that logically Lance couldn’t have run out of air yet— it’d been thirty seconds at most —he still didn’t like waiting. Pidge had dared Lance to go underwater, not _stay_ there as long as possible and thereby scare his friends who he already knew thought all of this was a terrible idea.

Keith was determined Lance was just doing his best to irritate him— and really, what else was new —but then another minute passed, and the faint worrystarted to give way to panic.

He remembered all to well how it had felt to lose sight of Lance in the forbidden forest, how he’d thought the other boy had been hurt or… or _worse_ by any of the numerous monsters inside. There was a _reason_ students weren’t supposed to go in the forest, after all, _especially_ at night, and the fact that Professor Haggar had seen fit to send Lance, Pidge, and Hunk there for detention still made Keith furious. And he hated to think of what would’ve happened if he _hadn’t_ found Lance, if he’d lost the trail after discovering his friend’s wand abandoned in the woods.

The memory sent a chill up his spine, and he took a few steps toward the lake.

Keith had no idea what he’d do if something were to happen with Lance. Sure, they hadn’t gotten along too well at first, but now… now they were friends. And Keith felt like not wanting his friend to die was a reasonable sentiment, though with Lance that was apparently too much to ask.

“Maybe one of us should go in after him?” Hunk asked. The question seemed rhetorical, but Keith honestly wasn’t too far from diving into the lake himself. Whether Lance was messing with them or not, this had gone on long enough. Keith knew he wouldn’t feel better until Lance was back on solid ground.

“Oh, he’s fine,” Pidge said, and waved a dismissive hand. “He grew up on a beach, he can hold his breath for a long time. He’s probably trying to stress you out.”

Keith ignored her. In fact, he had just taken another step forward, one of his shoes sinking into an inch of mud, when something broke the surface of the water with a loud _whoop._

Lance.

Who was grinning from ear to ear. Because of course he was.

“Lance!” Hunk cried immediately. “Are you okay?!”

Lance snorted, and began to swim lazily in circles. “Hunk, relax, I’m fine. In fact, the _water’s_ fine, too! You should all join me!”

Keith let out a small sigh of relief, the tension draining out of him. So Lance really had just been goofing off. Typical, but no less annoying. “Lance,” he said, raising his voice to be sure that the other could hear him all the way out into the lake. “Come on. Get back here.”

“Did I mention that you guys are no fun?” Lance called back. “I feel like I definitely mentioned that.” Even so, he started to swim back towards them, which was a pretty substantial distance now that Lance was close to the center of the lake. Still, he _was_ a very good swimmer, and began to cross the space quickly.

Until he stopped with a jolt and a look of surprise. Confusion crossed Lance’s face, and Keith watched as he looked down and seemed to kick his legs experimentally. Lance’s eyes widened. “I think my foot got caught on something,” he said, and tried to swim towards them again, but this time Lance sank underwater briefly before resurfacing, blinking salt out of his eyes. “Damn, I really can’t move at all. Maybe it’s a plant? I don’t know, but it’s pretty tight.”

“Nice try, Lance, but you trying to scare Keith stopped being funny a few minutes ago when he looked like he was going to have a heart attack just because you didn’t come up for air,” Pidge said.

Keith scowled at her, but she just shrugged as if to say, _What? I’m right._

Lance, still pretty far out in the lake, frowned. “I’m not trying to scare you guys, I’m really stuck! I wouldn’t joke about—”

“You wouldn’t?” Pidge echoed. Keith had to admit she was right. Pretending to be stuck just because he knew it would bother them was definitely something he’d do. He crossed his arms, and leveled Lance with what he hoped was an irritated glare.

“I _wouldn’t_ ,” Lance insisted, glancing at each of them in turn. When it became clear that nobody bought his act, he turned his attention back to his apparently stuck legs— which were conveniently underwater, and not visible to the rest of them. “Ugh, whatever. Don’t believe me. Let me see if I can…” he trailed off, slipping his hands underwater and nearly sinking under again when he did so. “Okay, guess I can’t tread water and take whatever this is off at the same time, so… give me a second.”

And then Lance was underwater again, and Pidge cast a sideways glance at Keith. “He’s ridiculous,” she declared. “If he thinks he can trick me into going in there after him, he’s even more of an idiot than I thought.”

Keith frowned. “Lance isn’t an idiot,” he said, though he wasn’t entirely sure if he disagreed. “This is ridiculous, though. He shouldn’t joke about being in trouble.”

“Are we sure he’s joking?” Hunk asked nervously. “He didn’t sound like he was joking, and… and he hasn’t come up yet!”

“Hunk, he’s fine. Remember what Lance said earlier? Students swim in that lake all the time, he’s just being dramatic,” Pidge told them. “Besides, even if he is stuck, it’s probably seaweed or something. And he’s staying underwater longer than he needs to _again_ to mess with you.”

Keith opened his mouth to say something, he wasn’t sure what. Even if Lance _was_ messing with them, maybe they should see if he needed help? Just in case. But at the same time… Lance really was insufferable when he got Keith to fall for one of his stupid pranks.

As it turned out, Keith didn’t have to say anything, because Lance resurfaced yet again. Except this time, he did so with several large splashes and wide eyes.

“I think something _bit_ me!” he practically shrieked, thrashing around in the water as much as he could with his supposedly stuck leg.

“Oh, honestly, Lance, you’re overselling it,” Pidge informed him just as loudly. “This isn’t _Jaws_.”

Keith blinked. “What?”

Pidge stared right back at him for several seconds.. “I hate purebloods,” she said, with finality. “There’s no accounting for taste with any of you. I mean, Matt had to introduce Shiro to the entire _Star Wars_ franchise last summer.”

Keith frowned. “What’s—”

“Oh my _god_ —”

“Guys,” Hunk interrupted, his voice quiet. “Is that… blood?”

Keith’s turned back to the water immediately, and sure enough, one of Lance’s forearms appeared to be bleeding. Keith couldn’t see the actual cut from far away, but… the fact that he could spot the stark _red_ on Lance’s skin that hadn’t been there before was enough cause for alarm.

“Maybe the plant has thorns?” Pidge offered weakly, but her voice was small, too.

Keith wanted to call out to Lance, but his mouth had gone dry. No words would come out.

Lance made another noise of distress from the lake. “It just got me again,” he said, sounding truly scared now, and Keith wondered how he could’ve ever thought Lance was just joking. “Yeah, I really don’t think this is—”

And then abruptly, he couldn’t see Lance anymore. Because Lance was tugged underwater in the blink of an eye, and the only evidence that he’d been there at all were the countless bubbles rising quickly to the surface as he lost air he hadn’t been prepared to hold in his lungs.

Keith cursed, one of the Muggle ones Pidge had taught him, and kicked off his shoes and cloak before casting a quick bubble charm around his mouth and nose— Shiro had taught it to him, once —and charging into the lake.

* * *

Lance _could_ hold his breath far longer than the average person, thanks very much, but typically he had some warning before losing the ability to breathe. Because typically, he was choosing to go underwater as opposed to being dragged into the depths no matter how he tried to struggle towards the surface. So he didn’t exactly have time to catch his breath.

Lance had grown up on a beach, swimming in the ocean felt as natural to him as walking. And so he’d never feared drowning. He’d never once thought of water as something potentially dangerous.

But as he was dragged down, down, _down_ into the Black Lake by something he was very quickly realizing was _not_ a plant, a panic he’d never before felt clawed at his insides, straining to get out though he couldn’t scream. He needed the air.

He was _running out_ of air, and the surface only kept getting farther and farther away.

Lance shouldn’t have been surprised that his friends didn’t believe him, but… it still hurt, as much as he hated to admit it. They really believed that he would pretend to be in danger just to scare them? Lance knew he could be an asshole sometimes, and he’d pulled pranks before but… never anything like _this_. He didn’t know his friends had so little trust in him. It was more than slightly disheartening, and Lance would’ve been even more upset by it were the majority of his thoughts not occupied by _oh my god I’m going to die._

By the time his friends realized that Lance was not, in fact, playing some sort of cruel trick on them, he’d already be a goner.

No, it had never been a fear of his before, but… growing up on a beach, he had heard things. Stories. Things that had happened to a friend of a friend of a friend.

Lance had heard that drowning was supposed to be painful.

And the pain from the two bites Lance had received— one on his arm when he’d tried to detach the _thing_ that held him, one on the leg that it had a grip on —was plenty on its own. Lance couldn’t see _what_ had grabbed him because the water was so murky, and he couldn’t seem to shake it off, either. He hadn’t brought his wand into the lake with him, because of course he hadn’t thought he’d need it, so Lance was left utterly defenseless. No magic, no light, no air, no _hope,_ nothing but water on all sides, something that had previously been such a comfort to him turned horrifying. Lance wasn’t sure he even knew which way the surface _was_ anymore.

And then he was abruptly made aware of it again as bubbles flurried out in every direction when a body catapulted into the lake with all the grace of a tidal wave. Lance couldn’t see who it was, at first, but there were only a few possibilities, and as the figure grew closer, it became clear.

Keith Kogane. Lance didn’t know why he’d expected anything less. They were both Gryffindors, after all; Lance was brave or reckless enough to go into the lake in the first place, and Keith was brave or reckless enough to follow him. Lance found it hard to believe that there’d been a time not too long ago when the two of them hadn’t gotten along.

At all.

And now… Keith was swimming toward Lance with surprising speed, a hastily formed bubble charm around his own mouth and nose so that he could breathe, and his wand clutched a white-knuckled grip— a _Lumos_ charm illuminating the depths.

As he got closer he shined the light around, and when his gaze caught Lance’s it was with a startling intensity. If Lance didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought Keith was _afraid._ But that was ridiculous, of course. Keith was _never_ afraid.

Just as quickly as they’d met his own, however, Keith’s eyes darted down, and his expression twisted into one of unmistakable panic. Lance followed the look, and… yeah, even for Keith, panic made sense.

Grindylows. At least half a dozen clinging to his legs, dragging him down slowly but surely, and far more were emerging out of the depths, swarming around Lance.

As terrifying as the darkness had been, it’d been better than knowing _exactly_ what kind of danger he was in. Than watching as another grindylow sank its pointed teeth deep into his leg.

Lance forgot himself for a moment. The pain was so intense, and this time he could see the cause, see their little beady eyes shining at him with malice, see more and more coming like a scene out of a horror movie, see his own blood beginning to turn the water a sickening shade of red. He was afraid, too. Just for a moment, but that was long enough for him to let out a scream.

And, consequently, all of his remaining air.

Keith reached him, then, but it was already too late. Lance had let go of his last breath, and his lungs were already starting to burn. He’d have a little more time, but… not much.

He was drowning.

And he could see by the look on Keith’s face that the other boy knew it, too. He had started tugging at Lance’s arms, trying to pull him free, but it was no use.

If he had any air left, Lance would’ve laughed at the irony of it. The fact that _this_ was how he would go. Suffocated by lungs that had filled with water.

Well, he could be eaten by the grindylows first, but Lance was a glass half full sort of person.

Wait a minute… the _grindylows_. Lance tore his eyes away from Keith— who was holding onto Lance now as he tried in vain to swim them both closer to the surface even if he hadn’t yet gotten Lance free —to confirm what he already knew to be truth.

The little creatures were already reaching for Keith, beginning to circle around him. And Lance knew that the bubble charm would only last him so long. Lance couldn’t manage to get free, but only one of the grindylows had grabbed Keith. They didn’t _both_ have to drown here. This was all Lance’s fault anyways; swimming in the Black Lake had been his own stupid idea, and Keith had even warned him not to. Because he’d known something like this would happen.

Why did Keith always have to be right?

Lance momentarily stopped trying to pry the clawed hands and tentacles that had him so stuck off of his legs in order to put his hands against Keith’s chest and _shove,_ as hard as he could. With no small amount of relief, he realized that the one grindylow that had managed to grab Keith without the other boy noticing had been dislodged with the motion.

Hurt flashed briefly across Keith’s expression before he glanced down himself and saw the creature drawing closer to him again. Keith— brilliant, ridiculous, _violent_ Keith — _punched_ the thing so hard it was sent reeling several feet away, and then he looked back at Lance, this time with understanding.

Lance couldn’t exactly talk, but he tried his best to communicate his thoughts to Keith with a look even as darkness began to creep in on the edges of his vision. _Save yourself. It’s okay._

And Lance was surprised to find that… it was. He didn’t _want_ to drown, of course not, but… as long as Keith was okay, it didn’t matter so much if he was.

He didn’t really have the presence of mind to wonder why Keith’s safety mattered so much more to him than his own. He just knew it did.

Keith didn’t seem to agree. Either that, or he’d drastically misinterpreted Lance’s look, because the next thing he knew Keith’s brows were furrowed and his expression had twisted with fury. Lance had seen Keith angry before, but this… this was something else entirely. And there was still a touch of fear in his eyes.

The last thing Lance saw before he finally succumbed to the darkness was Keith rushing towards him once again, that fear quickly turning to resolve.

* * *

Keith reached Lance just as the other boy’s eyes slipped shut, and the panicked kicking of his legs ceased as his whole body went limp. A few bubbles escaped his lips, and then… nothing.

Keith could feel the fear so intensely it made his head spin, but he _refused_ to let it overcome him. Lance needed him to… well, not remain calm, seeing as that was impossible with the way Lance’s head lolled when Keith shook him slightly, but he at least needed to keep himself together long enough to find a way out of this. For _both_ of them.

The _look_ Lance had given Keith as he pushed him away… he didn’t know if he’d be able to forget that look as long as he lived. The reassuring half-smile that all too quickly disappeared as Lance lost consciousness. Lance had wanted Keith to just… _leave_ him there. Not only that, he’d fully expected Keith to do so.

Keith knew that they’d had their differences in the past, but if Lance thought there was any chance in hell Keith would let him die, then he really was an idiot.

He wrapped an arm around Lance’s waist, but he knew trying to swim up to the surface with him and however many grindylows were trying to drag them _both_ down would never work. To Keith, there was only one solution here, and he’d need his wand. Which would’ve been fine, of course, if he wasn’t using it to cast _Lumos._ Still, Lance was out of time.

“ _Nox_ ,” Keith said, and though the word sounded strangled even to his own ears because of the bubble charm, his wand understood it, and they were plunged into darkness. Keith could still feel the grindylows scratching at his legs, and so he aimed down and blindly cast yet another spell. “ _Immobulus_ ,” he said first and, hoping it had worked, pointed his wand toward the sky and fired off one more. He held as tightly to Lance as he possibly could. “ _Ascendio!”_

The charm propelled them both toward the surface immediately— Keith kept his grip both on his wand and Lance tight, and thankfully he felt at least the creatures that had been holding him get shaken off, though he couldn’t see if they’d all let go of Lance until they broke the surface. Which they did, andin the next moment they were hurtling onto the bank. Keith pulled Lance closer to make sure the other boy didn’t hit his head, and they rolled a few times before coming to a stop.

Pidge and Hunk were both rushing over immediately, of course, but Keith didn’t pay them any attention. He was focused entirely on making sure Lance was okay.

Keith took quick stock Lance’s limbs as he sat up, pulling away. He had a few gruesome bite marks on his legs and one on his arm, but they should be okay. Keith grimaced at the sight, but luckily they weren’t too deep.

He turned his attention to Lance’s face, intending to shake him awake, but instead he froze.

Lance wasn’t _breathing._

He was just as alarmingly still as he had gone in the lake, his body limp, his skin pale. Keith pressed an ear to Lance’s chest and… yes, he still had a heartbeat, but his chest was still.

No rise, no fall.

Nothing.

Keith liked to think he was good at magic, and magic could do a lot of things, but… he had no idea how to fix this.

He could feel his own breaths starting to come shorter, faster, as he started to panic, and then—

Then Pidge and Hunk were beside him in the next moment, Hunk with a hand firmly on Keith’s shoulder— he was shaking, Keith could tell, but still comforting, somehow —and Pidge already reaching for Lance and tilting his head back.

“What are you—?”

“CPR,” Pidge answered shortly. “I swear, all of you pureblood wizards are useless.”

Keith frowned, but didn’t disagree. “I _know_ what CPR—”

“Great, then do it,” Pidge said, and gestured at Lance.

Keith wanted to argue that it shouldn’t be him, that Lance wouldn’t have wanted it to be him, but somehow Keith also hated the idea of it being anyone else. Still, this was hardly how Keith had imagined his first kiss would go. Sure, okay, maybe he’d _thought_ about kissing Lance once or twice, but… not like _this._

Which was a ridiculous thing to be thinking about, because that was _so_ not important right now. And it wasn’t even really a kiss anyways, so it didn’t count.

If he— _when_ he woke up, Lance probably wouldn’t say it counted, either.

Why did that disappoint him?

Why was half of Keith’s mind consumed by worry while the other half wondered how soft Lance’s lips would be?

All of this ran through his head in a few short seconds. Keith nodded to Pidge when he realized that she was glaring at him expectantly, and that Hunk’s grip on his shoulder had tightened. He leaned forward and pinched Lance’s nose before leaning down so he could breathe for him.

Only Lance twitched before he got there, his expression… shifting.

And then he had turned onto his side and started heaving water into the dirt.

“ _Lance_ ,” Keith breathed, and put a hand on his shoulder. Lance kept coughing, but his eyes were open and he was _breathing_ again, some color rushing back into his face. Keith felt like he could breathe again, too. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

He didn’t know whether he was trying to convince Lance or himself.

Lance, when he was apparently done expelling the water from his lungs, sat up with a groan. He looked unsteady, but _alive_ , and that was enough. Lance blinked at him blearily, then, “Your hair looks even more horrendous when it’s wet.”

That was, apparently, all the confirmation Hunk needed to know that Lance was okay, because he had practically tackled his best friend in the next second. Lance let out a huff that was still much too shaky for Keith’s liking.

“I’m okay,” he assured Hunk, patting his back. “Go easy on the ribs though, my lungs feel like they’ve been… well, like they’ve been wrung out.”

Hunk let go of him with a small apology, and Pidge settled for showing her relief by punching Lance in the arm. “You’re an idiot.”

“You _dared_ me to! What, was I just supposed to say no?!”

“Ideally, you would have,” Keith spoke up, finally, and wow, okay, his voice sounded almost as wrecked as Lance’s. He hoped that the others hadn’t noticed, but… nope, they were all staring at him. “I… I told you so. I _knew_ this was a bad idea.” It didn’t feel as gratifying as it usually did.

“Yeah, you did. You okay, Keith?” Lance asked, and he sounded legitimately concerned rather than scolded. “The grindylows didn’t get you too, did they?”

“We really should get you to the hospital wing,” Hunk said. “Both of you, to make sure you’re okay. Those bites look really nasty. Plus, I can’t remember from Kolivan’s lessons whether grindylows are poisonous.”

“They’re not. And I’m fine,” Keith snapped. “I didn’t—”

“Keith, you’re bleeding,” Pidge cut him off, and he followed her pointed look to see that he had, in fact, been bitten. A large chunk of his pant leg just above his ankle had been torn away, and the skin underneath had, too.

Huh. He hadn’t even noticed.

“Oh,” Keith said, and found he couldn’t think of anything else.

“I’m sorry.”

He whirled back around to look at Lance, who was looking down at the bite mark with a strange expression on his face. “ _What_?”

“You had to save me _again_ , just like in the stupid Forbidden Forest,” Lance said. “And you got hurt because of it.”

Keith stared at him. Again, _what_? “Lance, you got bit three times.”

Lance nodded. “Yeah, but I was the one who wanted to go swimming in the first—”

“You almost drowned,” Keith said, voice tight. “You _did_ drown. Don’t worry about _me_.”

Lance frowned at this, and he opened his mouth to continue, but Keith kept talking before he could lose his nerve.

“You wanted me to leave you there,” he said. His voice refused to stop shaking. “And you thought I _would_. You wanted me to just… just let you— _why_?!”

“Because I didn’t want you to get stuck, too?” Lance said, as if this made all the sense in the world. Hunk and Pidge were looking between the two of them. “Or hurt, not because of me, but you did, and I’m sorry—”

“Stop _apologizing!_ ”

Lance blinked at him in shock. Then, softly, “Okay.”

Keith drew in a steadying breath, forcing himself to sound calmer when he continued. “I really, _really_ wish you hadn’t done that,” he said. “I wish you would listen to me, and not put yourself in danger. But… but you don’t have to _apologize_. I should’ve listened to you, too. We all thought you were joking when you were stuck.”

“Well, _I_ didn’t,” Hunk muttered, and Pidge scowled at him.

“My point is,” Keith pressed on, “you don’t have to apologize for me getting hurt. _You’re_ hurt Lance, you almost—” his voice broke, and Lance’s eyes widened. _You almost died._ The words hung unsaid in the air for a moment, and then Keith started again. “ _I’m_ sorry I almost couldn’t get you out of there in time.”

Lance just looked at him for several seconds, his eyes shining, and then he _beamed._ “Well, if I’m not allowed to apologize for dragging you into my mess then you _definitely_ aren’t allowed to apologize for getting me out,” Lance said. “You really do always have my back, Keith. Thanks for saving me again.”

“I’ll always save you. You’d do the same for me,” Keith blurted out, before he could think better of it.

Lance, for once, seemed absolutely speechless. Keith could feel his face beginning to heat up, but before he take it back, Lance just said, “Yeah, I would.” Not a shred of sarcasm in his voice.

And—

_Oh_.

Keith really, really wanted to kiss him. And he was shaken to the core by the thought. It was a terrible idea, and it made next to no sense. There were a thousand reasons why he shouldn’t, why he shouldn’t even _feel_ this way. Not the least of which was the impossibility that Lance could ever feel the same. And they’d hated each other for first and most of second year, and Keith didn’t want to ruin the tentative friendship they had now. He couldn’t bear for Lance to hate him again.

But… but when Lance smiled at him like that, he couldn’t ignore it any longer. As much as he wanted to bottle his feelings up inside.

Keith wanted to kiss him. He almost had, in a messed up sort of way, and Keith really was a horrible person for wishing Lance had maybe taken just a few seconds longer to wake up, because Keith was positive that was the closest he’d ever get.

Pidge cleared her throat, startling Keith out of his thoughts. He could’ve sworn that Lance’s face turned a bit red, too, but he was probably just imagining things.

“Hospital wing?” Pidge deadpanned. “Remember? You’re both still bleeding, also Lance just nearly suffocated on disgusting lake water. I don’t want him to die because he can’t stop staring at—”

Lance elbowed Pidge, and she retaliated by punching him on the arm again. “Yeah, let’s… let’s do that,” Lance said quickly. He sounded strange, but then again, he’d nearly drowned. Hunk had only just helped Lance to a standing position when he stopped in his tracks again. “Wait, if we tell Professor Ulaz what happened does that mean I’m going to get detention _again_?”

Keith shook his head, a fond laugh escaping him despite his better judgement as Pidge helped him stand, too. “I think detention is better than you dying, Lance.”

Lance wrinkled his nose. “That’s _very_ debatable.”

Keith rolled his eyes, shoved Lance lightly forward, and all four of them started walking back toward the castle. If his heart started beating just a little bit faster with the smile Lance tossed over his shoulder, then… well, none of the others had to know.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
> 
> Keith is, at least, aware of his feelings after this work. The title is a bit of a double meaning. I have a lot of ideas for the future of this AU, and I can promise... a much shorter wait this time. Sorry about that, again? I don't know. Writing this was so weird, but still so fun. Maybe I just needed to give myself time to get back into the characters of VLD without regard for the disaster that is the show. Regardless, I'm excited to be working with these two pining dorks again.


End file.
